Question about handling rule arguments at game night

So last month at our weekly game night, we were playing a new area control game and got stuck on a rule about scoring ties. I was sure I had it right from the rulebook, but another player, Mark, pointed out a forum post from the designer that clarified it differently. He said, 'The official FAQ on BGG says ties go to the player with fewer units, not more.' I felt pretty dumb for missing that. I changed how I prep now. For any game over a 3 out of 5 on BGG's weight scale, I spend 30 minutes before game night checking the official rules forum for any FAQs or clarifications. It's saved us a lot of time and bickering. Has anyone else found a good system for staying on top of rule updates and errata?

3 comments

3 Comments

angelar574h ago

Sounds like overkill, Mark. Just play the game.

mark_lane4222h ago

Man, I feel that. I was the Mark in that story, and I still cringe thinking about it. I didn't mean to make you feel dumb, I just get way too into rule rabbit holes. My own system is just as bad. I'll watch a full 45-minute tutorial video for a game we're playing that night, then forget half of it. Your 30-minute check sounds way more sane.

rubyschmidt20h ago

Ngl, your system is way better than mine. I used to just skim the rulebook and hope for the best, which led to a huge fight over a tiebreaker last year. Now I make a quick note card with any tricky rules or common mistakes before we start. It sits right next to the board. Mark_lane42 has the right idea checking official sources, because those forum posts are gold. My note card method stops the whole game from halting to look stuff up.